Changing consumer habits and priorities have led many businesses to adjust their marketing strategies this year. Find out how top brands are branching into new media and creating new campaigns to appeal to customers in our must-read articles linked below.

Spotify Adds Video Elements for Advertisers

Music streaming giant Spotify has been providing brands with audio advertising opportunities for years. Until recently, businesses have been utilizing radio-like audio clips that reach listeners on the app’s ad-supported streaming tier. However, as the platform has changed to include more visuals with each song and podcast episode, Spotify is branching into video advertising. Advertisers can now add video elements alongside their audio ads, and they can also reach listeners using Spotify on their smart TVs with video ads.

In addition to enabling video ads, Spotify is also opening up video as a communication tool between artists and fans. Artists can create 30-second video clips to tell a story or speak about a new song, reaching audiences both on their profile and in official Spotify playlists. Learn more about how Spotify is expanding into the video space here: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2024/05/02/spotify-video-content-advertising/

Comparing Advertising Strategies of Top Fast-Food Brands

McDonald’s and Burger King are the two leading fast-food brands in the US. Despite rising prices across the board, both brands have grown their revenue by several percentage points in the past year. However, they take very different advertising approaches to drive their sales growth.

McDonald’s strategy has been to create “culturally relevant marketing campaigns” through primarily digital, mobile-first platforms. Their goal is to create a more personal experience for each customer to drive repeat purchases, even as their menu prices have steadily increased. As a result, McDonald’s has seen 13 straight quarters with positive comparable sales growth.

Burger King has seen even higher growth margins. Their revenue grew by 3.8% in Q1, driven largely by increased ad spend highlighting their value offerings. Burger King has prioritized promoting budget-friendly meals, as well as remodeling restaurants to improve the overall customer experience. Discover more details about each brand’s marketing strategy here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/mcdonalds-burger-king-marketing-strategies-earnings-value/714785/

Airbnb Is Now Offering Stays at Iconic Homes

Airbnb has experimented with offering pop culture-inspired home stays for years – you might remember the Malibu Barbie dream house last summer, or their overnight stay in the last remaining Blockbuster in the US. Last week, the vacation rental service kicked their branded offerings up a notch with a full collection of “Icons,” or vacation experiences based on popular movies, music and TV shows. The Icons collection includes the floating house from “Up,” Prince’s “Purple Rain” house, and the X-Mansion from “X-Men ‘97.”

According to the brand, each Icons experience is priced at less than $100 per guest per night, and a limited number of visitors will be selected via lottery. Find out more about how Airbnb hopes to “bring magic into the real world” with their partnerships and unique experiences here: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/01/entertainment/purple-rain-house-airbnb-icons-experiences/index.html

Influencers Are Still Effective…But Not for Their Authenticity

Once influencer marketing took off during the social media boom, content creators became an effective way for brands to reach their target audiences through a seemingly more relatable, accessible spokesperson. Now, years later, influencers can still drive sales, but not necessarily because of their authenticity. According to data from Sprout Social, nearly half of all consumers make regular purchases based on recommendations from influencers. At the same time, only 35 percent say they care most about authenticity from the creators they follow.

Instead, consumers note that they are more likely to be swayed by an influencer’s total follower count and their posting frequency. In a way, influencers are almost viewed as experts now, testing countless products and becoming trusted sources of information. Read more about consumers’ changing habits with social media and discover other interesting new statistics about influencer marketing here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/influencer-creator-generative-ai-marketing-report/714079/